Abolition of time zones: Difference between revisions
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{{Globalize|date=August 2021|2=US}} |
{{Globalize|date=August 2021|2=US}} |
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[[File:World Time Zones Map.png|thumb|right|300px|Time zones of the world]] |
[[File:World Time Zones Map.png|thumb|right|300px|Time zones of the world]] |
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Various proposals have been made to replace the system of [[time zone]]s with [[Coordinated Universal Time]] (UTC) as a local time. |
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== History == |
== History == |
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{{See also|Time zone#History}} |
{{See also|Time zone#History}} |
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For most |
For most of history, the position of the sun was used for timekeeping. During the 19th century, most towns kept their own local time. The standardization of time zones started in 1884 in the US.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=2021-03-20|title=Let's Get Rid of Time Zones, Not Just Daylight Savings|language=en|work=[[Bloomberg L.P.]]|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-03-20/let-s-get-rid-of-daylight-savings-and-time-zones|access-date=2021-03-30}}</ref> |
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=== Proposals === |
=== Proposals === |
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[[Arthur C. Clarke]] proposed |
[[Arthur C. Clarke]] proposed the use of a single time zone in 1976.<ref name="jamesgleick">{{cite news|last1=Gleick|first1=James|author-link=James Gleick|title=Time to Dump Time Zones|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/06/opinion/sunday/time-to-dump-time-zones.html|url-status=live|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=5 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106060701/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/06/opinion/sunday/time-to-dump-time-zones.html |archive-date=2016-11-06 }}</ref> Attempts to abolish time zones date back half a century<ref name=":0" /> and include the [[Swatch Internet Time]]. [[Economics]] professor [[Steve Hanke]] and [[astrophysics]] professor [[Richard Conn Henry|Dick Henry]] at [[Johns Hopkins University]] have been proponents of the concept and have integrated it in their [[Hanke–Henry Permanent Calendar]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Taylor|first=Adam|title=The radical plan to destroy time zones|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/02/12/the-radical-plan-to-destroy-time-zones-2/|access-date=2021-03-30|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Is it time to call time on time zones?|url=https://www.ft.com/content/e1be6777-2bf6-4fd0-a868-35c60f3ad82f|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-30|website=[[Financial Times]]|date=11 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811171316/https://www.ft.com/content/e1be6777-2bf6-4fd0-a868-35c60f3ad82f |archive-date=2020-08-11 |last1=Bradshaw|first1=Tim}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Clarke|first=Laurie|date=2019-10-28|title=What would happen if we abolished time zones altogether?|language=en-GB|magazine=Wired UK|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/universal-time-zones|access-date=2021-03-30|issn=1357-0978}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=February 29, 2020|title=Professors say a new calendar would eliminate leap years and save you over $500 a year|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/leap-day-debate-sparks-radical-calendar-proposal-eliminate-time-zones-halloween/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=[[CBS News]]|language=en}}</ref> |
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== Usage == |
== Usage == |
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UTC as a universal time zone is already used by airline operators around the world<ref>{{Cite news|title=The Day Of Two Noons : Planet Money|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/06/07/730727038/episode-918-the-day-of-two-noons|access-date=2021-03-30|website=[[National Public Radio]]|language=en}}</ref> and other international settings where time coordination is especially critical. This includes military operations, the [[National |
UTC as a universal time zone is already used by airline operators around the world<ref>{{Cite news|title=The Day Of Two Noons : Planet Money|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/06/07/730727038/episode-918-the-day-of-two-noons|access-date=2021-03-30|website=[[National Public Radio]]|language=en}}</ref> and other international settings where time coordination is especially critical. This includes military operations, the US [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] and the [[International Space Station]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Deal|first=Ryan|date=2021-01-01|title=It's Five O'Clock Everywhere: A Framework for the Modernization of Time|url=https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_lawreview/vol98/iss3/9|journal=[[Washington University Law Review]]|volume=98|issue=3|pages=911–936|issn=2166-7993}}</ref> Within the United States, some have cited effective international use of UTC in certain industries as evidence that a permanent national time zone would work within the United States, a change the [[United States Secretary of Transportation|Secretary of Transportation]] would have the authority to make.<ref name=":1" /> |
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=== Advantages === |
=== Advantages === |
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* The same time is used globally, which removes the requirement of calculations between different zones. |
* The same time is used globally, which removes the requirement of calculations between different zones. |
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* Possible health benefits as people who live on the eastern side of a time zone are out of sync with the [[circadian rhythm]]s.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=This Guy Says Getting Rid of Time Zones Will Improve Everyone's Life|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/nney3k/meet-the-professor-that-wants-to-change-the-way-we-measure-time|access-date=2021-03-30|website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]|language=en}}</ref> |
* Possible health benefits as people who live on the eastern side of a time zone are out of sync with the [[circadian rhythm]]s.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=This Guy Says Getting Rid of Time Zones Will Improve Everyone's Life|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/nney3k/meet-the-professor-that-wants-to-change-the-way-we-measure-time|access-date=2021-03-30|website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]|date=8 March 2016 |language=en}}</ref> |
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=== Disadvantages === |
=== Disadvantages === |
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* The date will |
* The date will change during daylight hours in parts of the [[Americas]] and [[Asia–Pacific]]. |
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* Requires changes in linguistic terminology related to time. |
* Requires changes in linguistic terminology related to time. |
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* Conceptually, time zones would still be in effect as different regions would still carry out activities such as [[business hours]], [[lunch]], [[school]] etc at different UTC times, essentially trading one system for a tantamount one. |
* Conceptually, time zones would still be in effect as different regions would still carry out activities such as [[business hours]], [[lunch]], [[school]], etc. at different UTC times, essentially trading one system for a tantamount one. |
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* The change would likely require a high level of effort from software developers and IT admins around the world, as nearly every modern software system needs to use time information in some fashion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rosehill |first=Daniel |date=2021-10-03 |title=The Largely Untold Story Of How One Guy In California Keeps The World’s Computers Running On The Right Time Zone. (Well, Sort Of) |url=https://onezero.medium.com/the-largely-untold-story-of-how-one-guy-in-california-keeps-the-worlds-computers-on-the-right-time-a97a5493bf73 |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=Medium}}</ref> |
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* It further complicates the [[Tz database]] because historical time zones would still exist.<ref>{{Cite web|title=So You Want To Abolish Time Zones @ Things Of Interest|url=https://qntm.org/abolish|access-date=2021-03-30|website=qntm.org}}</ref> |
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For example, at 08:00 (8 AM), with UTC±0 as a worldwide standard, the sky in the [[Eastern United States]] would look how it normally does at 03:00 (3 AM), and in [[China]] would look how it does at 16:00 (4 PM). However, in the [[United Kingdom]], the sky would look the exact same as it normally does at 08:00 (8 AM). |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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Revision as of 18:32, 11 December 2024
 | The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (August 2021) |
Various proposals have been made to replace the system of time zones with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) as a local time.
History
For most of history, the position of the sun was used for timekeeping. During the 19th century, most towns kept their own local time. The standardization of time zones started in 1884 in the US.[1]
Proposals
The time-zone map is a hodgepodge — a jigsaw puzzle by Dalí.
Arthur C. Clarke proposed the use of a single time zone in 1976.[2] Attempts to abolish time zones date back half a century[1] and include the Swatch Internet Time. Economics professor Steve Hanke and astrophysics professor Dick Henry at Johns Hopkins University have been proponents of the concept and have integrated it in their Hanke–Henry Permanent Calendar.[3][4][5][6]
Usage
UTC as a universal time zone is already used by airline operators around the world[7] and other international settings where time coordination is especially critical. This includes military operations, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the International Space Station.[8] Within the United States, some have cited effective international use of UTC in certain industries as evidence that a permanent national time zone would work within the United States, a change the Secretary of Transportation would have the authority to make.[8]
Advantages
- The same time is used globally, which removes the requirement of calculations between different zones.
- Possible health benefits as people who live on the eastern side of a time zone are out of sync with the circadian rhythms.[1][9]
Disadvantages
- The date will change during daylight hours in parts of the Americas and Asia–Pacific.
- Requires changes in linguistic terminology related to time.
- Conceptually, time zones would still be in effect as different regions would still carry out activities such as business hours, lunch, school, etc. at different UTC times, essentially trading one system for a tantamount one.
- The change would likely require a high level of effort from software developers and IT admins around the world, as nearly every modern software system needs to use time information in some fashion.[10]
For example, at 08:00 (8 AM), with UTC±0 as a worldwide standard, the sky in the Eastern United States would look how it normally does at 03:00 (3 AM), and in China would look how it does at 16:00 (4 PM). However, in the United Kingdom, the sky would look the exact same as it normally does at 08:00 (8 AM).
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Let's Get Rid of Time Zones, Not Just Daylight Savings". Bloomberg L.P. 2021-03-20. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ^ a b Gleick, James (5 November 2016). "Time to Dump Time Zones". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2016-11-06.
- ^ Taylor, Adam. "The radical plan to destroy time zones". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ^ Bradshaw, Tim (11 August 2020). "Is it time to call time on time zones?". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ^ Clarke, Laurie (2019-10-28). "What would happen if we abolished time zones altogether?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ^ "Professors say a new calendar would eliminate leap years and save you over $500 a year". CBS News. February 29, 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ^ "The Day Of Two Noons : Planet Money". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ^ a b Deal, Ryan (2021-01-01). "It's Five O'Clock Everywhere: A Framework for the Modernization of Time". Washington University Law Review. 98 (3): 911–936. ISSN 2166-7993.
- ^ "This Guy Says Getting Rid of Time Zones Will Improve Everyone's Life". Vice. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ^ Rosehill, Daniel (2021-10-03). "The Largely Untold Story Of How One Guy In California Keeps The World's Computers Running On The Right Time Zone. (Well, Sort Of)". Medium. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
